Mind the Mistletoe
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: At a Wassailia party Hildegard is hosting, Amber can't help noticing that a certain fair-haired prince is acting rather unusually.


Mind the Mistletoe

Summary: At a Wassailia party Hildegard is hosting, Amber can't help noticing that a certain fair-haired prince is acting rather unusually.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show.

A/N: All right! For those of you who were asking to see more Desmond/Amber interaction, here you go. It's wrapped up in a golden bow and signed, "To: You, From: AquaTurquoise." Have fun! 😊

*Story*

"How pretty!" Sofia gushed as she and her siblings walked into Hildegard's grand ballroom, all the students from Royal Prep there and dressed in seasonal outfits. Sofia had chosen a red and purple gown for the evening and styled her hair in a ponytail.

Amber was dressed in gold with a green sash while James was dressed in dark green with golden accents. They always did seem to oppositely coordinate their wardrobe, though whether it was intentional or not they weren't sure. The older princess smiled as Hildegard approached them. "Nice party, Hildy," she complimented, mesmerized by the glimmering lights and decorations surrounding them.

"Thanks, Amber," the dark-haired princess said as she fluffed out her teal dress. "A lot of organization and preparation really does wonders for a glamourous party."

"And I bet she didn't even have to lift a finger," James teased as he whispered to Sofia, who giggled.

"Why don't you all find a table and relax? Actually, would you _please_ go sit with Desmond?" Hildegard gestured toward the fair-haired boy, who seemed a bit fidgety and uncomfortable in his formal dark blue outfit—almost as if he weren't used to fancy parties. Oh, wait. "He's been a little spacy since he got here, and while I'm not necessarily worried, I'd rather not have him passing out at my party. What would people say?"

"Your party's a snooze?" James asked without thinking, earning an elbow jab from his twin. "Ow!"

The Friezenburg princess folded her arms and glared at the boy. "Very funny, James." She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go mingle with my guests. Enjoy yourselves." With that, she whipped out one of her infamous fans and took off into the crowd.

The three siblings made their way over to Desmond's table and sat down. Amber sat on Desmond's left and James sat on his right; Sofia sat next to Amber. It was a few moments before the prince realized he had company.

"Uh, hi, guys," the boy said uncertainly as he looked at his classmates. "I'm sorry. I didn't even know you were here." He laughed sheepishly. "I guess I'm not very observant tonight."

"Is anything wrong?" Sofia asked in concern.

"I'm just not a big 'party' person. But my aunt insisted I come. Something about 'needing socialization instead of books all day' or however she put it. I guess Aunt Nadine doesn't realize that there are, in fact, books on socialization."

James grinned. "Not exactly the same, Des."

"Oh, you poor thing," Amber sighed as she shook her head in dismay. "Desmond, Desmond, Desmond… Whatever are we going to do with you?" She grinned as he looked shyly at her. "We're about to embark on a whole new journey very soon—a whole new school! Books are great, but if you don't learn how to communicate better, then I don't think this new adventure is going to do you any favors."

"Are you kidding?" he asked with a breathless laugh. "I'm just lucky I'm passing Mr. P's class… I seriously thought I would fail with his 'idealistic' approach methods. And he's all about pairing us up to do partner work and 'thinking outside the box.' Amber, I'm a loner, and I'm a straightforward, factual guy. Those things clash with my entire personality."

"They don't have to, Desmond," Sofia encouraged sweetly, smiling as he glanced uncertainly toward her. "You can still be yourself and be true to what you value, but there's nothing wrong with some changes."

"Right!" James agreed with a hearty smile. "And believe me, by the time we're through with you, you won't even recognize yourself."

The shy prince whined as he put his hands against his face. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Amber smiled and removed his hands from her friend's face. "Never mind all that right now. I think it's time we had some fun." She took his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor just as a waltz began playing.

James and Sofia snickered from their table as a worker served them some cheesecake while they watched the scene before them.

"Amber, no, no," Desmond whispered frantically as she started dancing with him, though he was rather clumsy and was tripping over his own feet. "I'm not good at this waltz thing… I can barely manage skipping…not that I make skipping a daily habit." He blushed as she smirked at him. "…Maybe I should just stop talking."

"For once, I'd like that." She took his left hand in her right before guiding his right hand to her back as she gently placed her left one against his shoulder. She smiled kindly as she noticed he looked _so_ uncomfortable. "Relax, Desmond. It's just me. Now follow my lead."

The boy gulped uncertainly before doing as she said. Soon enough they'd fallen into something of a pattern, and he grew more comfortable—not overly confident, granted, but better in general. Dancing in a circle wasn't so hard after all.

"Twirl me," Amber told him with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

Desmond blinked and nearly missed a step but managed to recover. "Uh, what?"

"Twirl me. It's part of the dance."

"Um…I'll try." He awkwardly lifted her right hand and sighed in relief as she spun a few times before returning to her normal position. "H-How was that?"

Amber smiled kindly. "Not bad. We'll work on it for next time."

"N-Next time…" She was expecting a next time? She actually wanted to dance with him again? He felt his cheeks warming up as the music slowed to a finish.

The crowd clapped for the orchestra before dispersing, likely to get some nourishment after all the dancing.

"You're a pretty decent dancer, you know," Amber told her friend with a knowing smile. "Just have a little more confidence in yourself, and you'll be perfect. And I know how much you like to be the best you can be."

Desmond laughed at that statement. "I try anyway… But thank you, Amber. That means a lot coming from you."

The princess giggled before happening to glance up. Her eyes widened in surprise before looking back toward the unsuspecting boy. "Oh, um… I…guess I didn't realize where we…were standing."

"Huh?" The prince glanced up since he'd seen her do the same. He tilted his head and frowned in confusion. "I wonder if Hildegard knows she has a parasitic plant growing from her ceiling. Oh, I hope a disgruntled worker didn't put it there. That's just rude."

Amber stared at the boy in disbelief. Did he _really_ not understand what he was critiquing? "Desmond, do you know what that is?"

"Of course. I studied it in my enchanted gardening course. It's mistletoe. It's a parasitic plant, typically found in small bushes. They have a habit of robbing neighboring plants of their nutrients though…"

…Typical. She smiled slyly. This could be fun. "And are you aware of the…symbolic nature of mistletoe?"

He shook his head. "I can't say I am. However, given its greedy nature, I can't imagine it would be a positive symbol."

"Oh, really?" Amber leaned forward and kissed his cheek, causing him to blush darkly. "I guess I'll remember that the next time you and I end up under one of these." She winked as he stuttered before she hummed to herself and sauntered off.

Desmond stood, dumbfounded, as Sofia and James approached him to check on him. He looked toward the siblings, who were giggling at his flushed face. "Guys… I think mistletoe is supposed to be…a romantic plant or something…"

Sofia grinned. "What was your first clue?"

"Be careful where you step tonight, Des," James warned playfully. "Better mind the mistletoe, huh?" He laughed and walked away, Sofia following after him as they headed toward the buffet.

"Yeah," Desmond murmured to himself as he noticed that Amber was waving at him from near a window. He smiled shyly as she playfully gestured upward, above her head, toward yet another little sprig of the normally possessive plant. "Guess I'd better."

The end


End file.
